Mariel Jackson and I, Jake Ingram, are proud to announce our candidacy for student body president and vice president.

We have an ambitious plan to benefit students by improving safety, promoting student organizations and controlling student fees. As the current student body vice president, I have gained the experience and built the relationships necessary to make things happen.

Jackson’s Senate background will be invaluable as we endeavor to expand the Senate’s role in Student Government. Our team is made up of some of the best students across campus in pursuit of one goal: a brighter future for the entire student body.

The most exciting and important initiative on our agenda is a new smartphone app that will improve student safety. This app, called Lifeline Response EDU, puts the power of a blue light safety tower in your pocket. No matter where you are when the alert on Lifeline Response is activated, police and emergency contacts are instantly notified of your exact location and can respond immediately. With SG’s help, this service will be free to all students.

We will continue to support a safer campus through other avenues as well, such as expanding the hugely successful Cats Cab safe ride program and the annual Safety Walk. We will also drastically increase support for other student organizations.

By listening to students in our current roles in SG, we have identified funding as the number one need of most student organizations Our comprehensive plan incorporates boosting funding in two key ways: drastically increasing the dollar amount that the Senate appropriates directly to student organizations and opening up sponsorship opportunities.

We were able to raise several thousand dollars in sponsorships for SG this year.

Our plan is to develop a structure for all organizations to have access to sponsorships.

Finally, we will implement a plan to control student fees. In a year in which seven organizations requested fee increases, we demonstrated our commitment to controlling student fees by decreasing SG’s fee.

That’s right — we decreased the SG fee, which gave back $27,000 to students.

The current student approval fee process is in dire need of reform. Each semester students pay over $500 in student fees. The fee, and subsequent increases, is determined by representatives of fee-receiving organizations.

In other words, those who benefit most from a fee increase are the ones making the decisions. Jackson and I see the value of empowering our Senate with part of this decision-making process. With the Senate’s involvement, all students will have a voice in determining their student fees.

Jackson and I are confident that we can create real, impactful change on campus. Our combined experience in SG proves that we can turn ideas into reality. Along with an outstanding group of senators, we will fight for students with passion and integrity to fulfill our mission: to listen, support, and act for the advancement of the student body and UK.

Visit our website at www.ingramjackson2014.com. Follow us on Twitter @ingramjackson14 and Facebook at Ingram Jackson 2014.

[email protected].